ORLANDO, Fla. – UCF football coach Gus Malzahn is resigning to become the offensive coordinator at struggling Florida State University, according to ESPN.
Malzahn was hired by UCF in Feb. 2021 after Josh Heupel left to become the head coach at Tennessee.
UCF finished this season 4-8 while missing a bowl appearance, finishing with a second straight losing season under Malzahn.
“I almost feel like it’s something that had to happen. I feel like our play calling was kind of repetitive at times,” said UCF Fan Mike Dilella who News 6 caught up with at Island Wing Company near campus.
UCF Athletics released a statement that read, “We would like to thank Coach Malzahn for his contributions to our football program over the past four seasons, including our transition into the BIG 12 conference. We appreciate his professionalism and dedication to our student-athletes throughout his tenure at UCF and wish he and his wife, Kristi, the very best in their future endeavors.”
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Statement from UCF Athletics: pic.twitter.com/DS90sDP59k
— UCF Knights 🌴 (@UCFKnights) November 30, 2024
“With Gus in particular, there’s been a lot of calls that has been questionable. There’s definitely been things that he needed to do a lot better,” UCF fan Logan Wright said.
Even UCF Players Troy Ford Jr. and Kason Stokes shared their thoughts on their coaches departure with News 6.
“It was a little surprising. The season didn’t go as we expected, but I think next year we’ll get the job done,” Ford said at the restaurant.
“Honestly, I feel like it’s a new opportunity for everybody. It’s a clean slate. Come in and show what you can do produce and make the program better,” Stokes added.
BOOM 💥
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) December 2, 2024
A renowned offensive innovator with a championship pedigree, Gus Malzahn has been hired as our next offensive coordinator after overseeing a top-10 rushing offense and top-20 total offense each of the last three seasons
🔗: https://t.co/IKBvIFVo78#NoleFamily |… pic.twitter.com/uZljeKtRdX
According to ESPN, Malzahn will become FSU’s primary play-caller. FSU head coach Mike Norvell has made a number of changes to his staff after a disappointing 2-9 season.
Malzahn finished with a 28-24 mark in four years at UCF, the last two ending with losing records after joining the Big 12. He coached at Auburn for eight seasons before being fired in 2020.
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